Personal Page: News & Views for June 2014

A timely warning, as colleges let out and the younger set gears up for more active summer socializing: the State Liquor Authority has been busy.

“Preventing the sale of alcohol to minors is a priority for the State Liquor Authority, and underage sweeps will continue,” SLA Chairman Dennis Rosen recently announced.

This came as he released the results ofa series of sting operations in New York City in April, where minors were sent into 74 locations to purchase alcohol. I thought I was going to be able to filter through the results and present a relatively positive story. Sorry guys, but the stings showed an uncomfortably high rate of success and not just in beer-selling grocery stores.

Please. Start paying closer attention to anyone of questionable age. If they are really well over 21, don’t worry—most people will smile and take it as a compliment! If you don’t card them, the SLA is prepared to impose some pretty severe penalties.

William G. Slone, Chairman

Reaction vs. Overreaction

When people who serve the public start talking about the threat of overindulging, a little extra scrutiny may be in order.

Last year a bill was introduced in the New York legislature to lower the legal blood alcohol limit from .08 to .06. It failed. Currently D.C. council member Muriel Bowser is making a BAC limit of .05 a keystone in her mayoral race. This is so over-reaching that even Mothers Against Drunk Driving have stepped away from this issue.

Another recent topic: the powdered alcohol called “Palcohol.” This product did not yet exist and elected officials were already calling for its ban.

Moving from an imagined abuse to reality, unrestricted access to marijuana has also opened the door to creative new abuses. Never mind smoking a joint; how about buying some cookies laced with marijuana? That’s apparently what a 19-year-old first-time pot user did. Then he jumped to his death.

To our friends in the political system: Please refocus your priorities.

Jason A. Glasser, Chief Executive Officer

Brewing Game Changer

With the craft explosion and subsequent redoubling of efforts by bigger brewers in recent years, there has been plenty of innovation in beer, but perhaps none bigger than Heineken’s new gamechanger: BrewLock. It reinvents the way draught beer is delivered, taking quality and consistency to another level.

June is the perfect time to talk about what’s new in rum, the classic mixer for warm-weather cocktail classics. “Rum Gets Respect” addresses rum’s diversity and the recent super-premium tilt. We have two new departments this month. “Cocktail Corner” stays in the rum spirit. “Retailer Focus” brings perspective from off-premise expert Brian Rosen, looking at clean vs. cluttered stores. As you stock up for summer, it might be a good time to think about where you fall on the spectrum.

And don’t forget to check out the calendar, where a wide variety of events will give you a good reason to get out and about.